Pedro Cifali was not a public figure, influencer, or community leader. Until 2024, his name meant nothing outside his personal circle. That changed abruptly after a violent attack in Dublin that drew national attention in Ireland and placed a Brazilian citizen at the centre of one of the country’s most disturbing criminal cases in recent years.
Cifali, a Brazilian national living in Dublin, had been in a relationship with Lucia Nezbalova. When the relationship ended, the separation did not. Instead, the court later heard that Cifali secretly placed a tracking device underneath her car, allowing him to monitor her movements without her knowledge. This act of surveillance would become central to the case, revealing a level of planning that deeply troubled investigators and the court.
In May 2024, after following her to her home in Waterville, Dublin 15, Cifali approached Lucia at her front door. He claimed he wanted to talk. Moments later, he launched a sustained knife attack, stabbing her repeatedly. The wounds were severe and spread across her neck, head, back, abdomen and arms. Many were defensive injuries, showing she tried desperately to protect herself.
Her survival was due in part to chance. A medical professional nearby heard her screams and intervened, preventing the attack from becoming fatal. Prosecutors later described the assault as deliberate, controlled and carried out with clear intent to kill.
Cifali was arrested and later pleaded guilty to attempted murder. In February 2026, Ireland’s Central Criminal Court sentenced him to 16 years in prison, with an additional year suspended on strict conditions. The sentence was backdated to May 2024, when he was first taken into custody. During sentencing, the judge highlighted jealousy and anger over Lucia moving on with her life as a key motive behind the attack.
For Lucia Nezbalova, the consequences extended far beyond the physical injuries. In her victim impact statement, she described living with ongoing pain, limited mobility, anxiety, depression and post traumatic stress. She told the court that her sense of safety was destroyed, particularly in the place where she should have felt most secure, her own home.
The case resonated widely in Ireland, not only because of its brutality, but because it exposed the dangers of stalking and coercive behaviour after relationships end. It has since been cited in discussions around domestic violence, personal safety, and the legal use of tracking technology.
Pedro Cifali’s name is now permanently tied to a crime that crossed borders and left lasting damage. For Brazilian audiences, particularly those living abroad, the case stands as a stark reminder of how personal relationships, when mixed with control and obsession, can escalate into life threatening violence, and how such crimes are treated under Irish law.
